Superpower Outage
by SineTimore
Summary: a post-ep 6x04 Old Haunt celebration scenario involving our main five characters.


**Disclaimer:** This show and its characters are in the hands of the right people. I am, thankfully for most, not a part of that group.

**AN: ** For AC who planted the wee seed and because she wanted to read more post ep 6x04 scenarios involving The Old Haunt.

* * *

_**Superpower Outage**_

Castle popped up from behind the bar, a large piece of the broken bottle in his hand and a dismayed hope-no-one-saw-that look on his face. Unfortunately for him, many of the evening's celebrants had seen it. Richard Castle rarely did anything without attracting attention, after all.

The Old Haunt was in the midst of an impromptu celebration on this night, the night that Kate Beckett had become Detective Kate Beckett once again. The now openly engaged couple arrived at the bar together hand in hand, but were separated almost immediately by precinct well-wishers who were most anxious to shower Kate in enthusiastic- and perhaps alcohol fueled- welcome back babble. Castle stepped aside and allowed them their moments with her. He knew that had a lifetime of them to come. And, she looked so happy.

"Bro!" hollered Espo, grabbing Castle's attention. "What's up with the _Cocktail _performance? 'Cause you suck at it."

Castle threw the shard of glass into the trash under the bar and rinsed his hands off in the sink. He'd been so certain that he could match Tom Cruise's bartending prowess, especially while basking in the high of day he'd had with Emma and the hostages, but the bottle of Grey Goose definitely had other ideas.

"And," Espo continued, "the vest? Really?" He shook his head with an exaggerated _pfff_.

"Rule number one, Javier, never mock the bar owner that comps you," Castle quipped. "Furthermore, this vest is the sole reason that I'm here to offer you this free beverage," he said, pushing the bottle of beer in Espo's direction. "I may never take it off again. You know, for sentimental reasons- the day I took one to the chest and saved everyone."

"And made a fool of yourself in front of all of these people," Espo snickered.

Castle was too easy a mark.

"So," he began before turning to the rest of the room, "your girl seems happy. We, uh, we've really missed her," his tone now noticeably sincere.

Espo was tough. Always. But, when it came to Beckett, something softer seemed to radiate.

Castle looked across the small crowd and his eyes fell upon her. She laughed exuberantly at her conversation partner's something or other and he fell in love all over again. Instantly. That happened frequently now. "She's beautiful when she's happy, isn't she?" he asked, lost in his own world of thought.

"I can't even talk to you when you're like this," Espo huffed. He grabbed his beer from the bar, yelled _whipped_ and faded into the room.

* * *

Not five minutes later, Ryan approached, empty glass in hand. "Another whiskey, barkeep!" he singsonged, obviously but not yet annoyingly tipsy.

"You don't get out much anymore, do you Ryan?" Castle chuckled. "Sit and take a load off, why don't cha?" He discarded the empty and poured a glass of bottled water. "Here," he said, presenting it with unwarranted grandeur, "drink this. It's a house special."

"Thanks, Castle," Ryan chirped. "Hey, where's Beckett?" he blurted suddenly and as though she'd just been standing next to him and disappeared.

Castle looked around, not for Beckett, but for Jenny. Thankfully she'd come out to celebrate and, as it would turn out, to escort her husband home in one piece. He spotted her at a table with Lanie and grinned with relief.

"Uh, Beckett's… around here somewhere," Castle replied. "You know how she is. Always sneaking off and getting into trouble. Good thing she has me now to keep her in line, huh?"

"Ha!" Ryan chortled. "Good one, Castle. She does seem _reeeeeally_ happy though," he exaggerated, thanks to the whiskey or three. "Are you happy too, Castle?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm _reeeeeally_ happy too," he threw back with a grin. "You should go and find that gorgeous wife of yours before she runs off with Jones over there."

Ryan darted his head around frantically. "What? That's not…that's not funny, Castle." He grabbed his water from the bar, yelled _Jenny_ and faded into the room.

* * *

Castle turned to make his escape from behind the bar, finally, and ran smack into the good doctor whose silent approach had gone entirely undetected. An _ooof_ spilled from his mouth as he grabbed at Lanie's tiny form to keep her from toppling over.

"You sure do have a way with the ladies, Castle," she cracked as they each found balance. "It's no wonder my girl fell so hard…so to speak."

Feeling the blush of embarrassment and with sincerest hope that his hands hadn't landed somewhere they shouldn't have, he offered apologies and a refill of her most ladylike pink cocktail.

"Oh, I didn't say I didn't enjoy it, but I think we should keep the groping to a minimum since your fiancée is right over there," she teased with a point of her finger. "And speaking of that, why the hell are you over here when she's over there with those bullpen bores?" There was a distinct elevation in the volume and tone of her voice.

He offered only a chuckle at her chosen moniker until he realized that he'd better offer a response given the daggers her look was throwing his way. "Well, I was-"

Her eyebrow crooked as she awaited an answer that would, of course, never suffice.

So she interrupted him.

"She's been watching you over here this whole time, in case you hadn't noticed, Castle. Geez, for someone married twice before, you sure are clueless when it comes to a woman's signals."

He suddenly found himself apologizing again. And feeling a bit foolish in his damn vest, which apparently offered no sense of security against a woman standing just over five feet tall.

Before he could stammer his next word, he felt the vibration of the phone in his pocket. He pulled it free and Kate's face stared back at him. "Oh, it's-" he started to tell Lanie, who instead grabbed her cocktail from the bar, hummed a preemptive _mmhmm _and faded into the room.

* * *

"Hey!" he answered energetically.

"Wow, fiancé, you sound kinda excited. Have you been screwing around all day just waiting for the phone to ring?"

Her reference to their early morning discussion wasn't at all lost on him.

"Yeah, you know, just slept in late and stuff- the usual. Where are you?" he asked, scanning the room.

"Funny, Mr. C, I could ask you the same question. I've been tossing you one signal after another tonight and nothin'."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, so Lanie told me."

"Lanie? Wh-"

"Never mind," he grumbled. "But, apparently my vest doesn't give me all of the superpowers I'd hoped for. What fun is it if it _only_ stops bullets?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that's the only power it has, Castle," she uttered suggestively.

He cleared his throat and ran his fingers across the souvenir hole left by the day's bullet.

"Yeah?" came out of his mouth in an octave unbefitting a man of his age.

"Take me home, Castle. And leave the vest on."


End file.
